Crystal Palace will be looking to improve further in the upcoming season and for that, they are looking to add reinforcements to their squad. According to latest reports, they are being linked with a move for Turkish international Ozan Tufan. The Eagles were linked with him earlier in the January transfer window as well and the reports suggest that they are again on the hunt to sign the 23-year-old midfielder.
Tufan currently plies his trade for Turkish heavyweights Fenerbahce having started his career with Bursaspor. The Turkish international is known for his versatility as he can play as a box to box midfielder or as a defensive midfielder or even in a right-back role as well.
The Super Lig midfielder has represented his national team at various youth levels and at just 23, he has racked up 31 senior team appearances for Turkey. The midfielder, however, failed to break into Fenerbahce side regularly as he made just 14 appearances in all competitions last season. Nonetheless, he is highly regarded in his native country and a move to Premier League will test his abilities to the core.
He is valued at £2.5m so it will be a relatively low-risk signing for Palace if they go after him in the transfer market.
Palace were in doldrums at the beginning of last season as they were pointless in their first 7 games and it seemed like they were done for the season. However, the appointment of the veteran Roy Hodgson changed the tide for them and slowly and steadily they went on to secure their Premier League status and finished the season on a respectable 11th spot. Hodgson will be looking to carry the same momentum in the upcoming season but there are some areas he needs to look after.
One of them is a central midfield position as Yohan Cabaye and James McArthur both had a below-par season last term. Moreover, the duo are both over 30 now while Cabaye is set to be out of contract soon. Hence, Hodgson will need to find a solid young partner for his club captain Luka Milivojevic and it seems like they have zeroed in on Turkish international, Tufan.
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Tufan might be highly regarded but the Premier League will certainly be the sternest test of his career. We have often seen players from other divisions fail to establish themselves and come to terms with the challenges of English football. Hodgson will certainly hope that is not the case with Tufan and he will hope that he can hit the ground running in his first season if he decides to make a switch to Selhurst Park.
